Soap-molding machine.



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FRIEDRICH JRGENS, OF SANGERHAUSEN, GERMANY.

SOAP-MOLDING ll/IACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Application filed November 5, 1007. Serial No. 400,802.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH JRGENS, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, residing at Sangerhausen, in the Empire of Germany, have invented a new and useful Soap-Molding Machine and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The known soap-molding machines comprising a cooling vessel, a series of smooth metal molds mounted therein, a slide at the vessel for discharging the molded soap-rods, and a device on the vessel for expelling the soaprods by means of compressed air, present the defect, that the compressed air frequently forces its way through the congealed soap, so that they thereby spoiled soap-rod requires to be remelted by heating the mold and afterwards to be frozen, which of course means a great loss of time, steam, coolingwater and labor.

l have discovered, that it is the adhesion of the congealed soap to the walls of the mold, which causedl the compressed air to spoil the congealed soap. x

My invention relates to an improvement in such soap-molding machines, whereby the said defect is avoided, and the object of my improvement is to provide means for mechanically pushing through a short distance the congealed soap by means of plungers, so as to loosen the soap-rods, after which the compressed air is turned on and permitted to downwards expel the loosened soap-rods.

I will now proceed to describe' my invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which` Figure 1 is a vertical cross section through my improved soap-molding machine, and F ig. 2 is an elevation of one halt of the same.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

d denotes a cooling vessel of any known construction and provided with a series of smooth metal molds e mounted therein, so that the cold water entering the vessel rl at Z is permitted to circulate and to cool the walls of the molds e before it leaves the vessel at m. At the bottom of the vessel d a slidef is provided, which requires to be withdrawn for emptying the molds e. A box c placed on the top of the vessel e is preferably provided with serpentine or otherwise shaped channels .7). through which steam can be passed for heating the box c. A series of plungers g is mounted in the box c to vertiboiler and the supply of the soap therefrom can be stopped by means of a slide a. The box c is moreover provided with a series of horizontal channels 7c, to which the compressed air is admitted from some source through a suitable piping (not shown).

/Vhen the plungers g occupy their upper position shown, they leave suflioient space to permit the hot liquid soap to How in and to fill up the molds e. On the box c a frame o of any suitable construction is provided, through which the rods a pass and in which a series of gear wheels p p is supported. These gear wheels are internally screwthreaded and engage in the threaded parts of the rods n, while they mesh with one another as is clearly shown at Fig. 2. They may be simultaneously operated in any known manner, for example by means of a hand-cran-k 7L and a suitable gearing g. Of course the rods a require to be prevented from turning, be it by means of feathers in the frame o engaging in their longitudinal grooves or otherwise. The plungers g require to be pushed downwards only as far as say the dotted line r for detaching the adhering soap from the walls of the molds e. This stroke of the plungers g may be for example ten centimenters long. Preferably the box c is provided in its bottom with openings of thel same area as the plungers g and the molds e, so that, when the plungers g are moved downwards only as far as the dotted line i, they will close the molds e air-tightly to enable the compressed air admitted through the channels k to force the loosened soap-rods downwards.

The operation of the soap-molding machine is as follows: By means of the handcrank 7L all the plungers g are shifted to their upper position shown, the slide f is pushed inwards to close all the molds e, and the slide a is withdrawn to admit the hot liquid soap, which will fill up the molds e. Under the action of the cooling water the soap in the molds e will congeal. At the proper moment the slide f is withdrawn and the hand-crank h is turned to move all the plungers g down to the dotted line r in Fig. l, which suflices for loosening the soap-rods. Then the handcrank h is turned back so much as to shift the lower face of the plungers g from the dotted line 7" to the dotted line t, so that the molds e all remain closed. yAt last the compressed air is in any known manner turned on, so that it passing through the channels [l: into the spaces beneath the plungers g will force the soap-rods downwards and thus expel them from the molds. Afterwards the operation described is repeated. y

rlhe heating of the box c by means of steam passing through the channels l) is useful to prevent the soap in the box c from congealing and blocking up the plungers g.

The soap-molding machine may be varied in many respects without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I am aware, that plungers have been used with soap-molding machines for expelling the soap-rods from the molds, but such plungers require to be pushed through the whole length of the molds or nearly so, and l therefore do not claim the plungers broadly, but

Vhat I do claim, is

1. In a soap-molding machine, the combination with a cooling vessel, of vertical molds mounted therein, a slide adapted to close said vertical molds at the bottom, a box on said cooling vessel and adapted to receive hot liquid soap, plungers vertically guided in said box and adapted to engage in the monthsy of said molds, means for driving said plungers to detach the congealed soap from the walls of said molds, and means for conducting compressed air to the spaces between the soap-rods and said plungers after the latter have been withdrawn, so as to ex pel the detached soap-rods from said molds.

2. In a soap-molding machine, the combination with a cooling vessel, of vertical molds mounted therein, a slide adapted to close said molds 'at the bottom, a box on said cooling vessel and adapted to receive hot liquid soap, its bottom having holes registering with said molds and also channels for conducting compressed air, plungers vertically guided in said box and adapted to engage through its bottom holes in the mouths of said molds, means for driving said plungers to detach the congealed soap from the walls of said molds and for withdrawing said plungers only so much as to uncover said channels for permitting the compressed air to expel the detached soap-rods from said molds.

3. ln a soap-molding machine, the combination with a cooling vessel, of vertical molds mounted therein, a slide adapted to close said molds at the bottom, a box on said co oling vessel and adapted to receive hot liquid soap, its bottom having holes registering with said molds and also channels for conducting compressed air, means for heating said box, plungers vertically guided in said box and adapted to engage through its bottom holes in the l mouths of said molds, means for driving said plungers to detach the congealed soap from the wallsvof said molds and for withdrawing said plungers only so much as to uncover said channels for permitting the compressed air to expel the detached soap-rods from said molds.

4. lin a soap-molding machine a vertical mold having an opening for expelling soap therefrom, means for cooling said mold, a plunger movable in the mold to loosen solidified soap therein, and an opening for supplying compressed air within said mold above said solidified soap to expel the latter from the mold, the plunger cutting olf said supply of compressed air when moved to soap loosening position.

5. In a soap-molding machine, a vertical mold having an opening for expelling soap therefrom, an Opening for supplying soap to said mold, means for cooling the latter, a plunger movable in the mold to loosen solidi ied soap therein, and an opening for supplying compressed air within said mold above said solidified soap to expel the latter from the mold, the plunger cutting off the supply of soap. and the supply of compressed air when moved to soap loosening position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FllEDRlCH JRGENS.

Witnesses:

W OLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HAsPER. 

